


A Night Off

by joz_stankovich (joz_rose)



Series: The Wednesday Ryder Files [2]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Drinking, F/M, Flirting, One Shot, Slight Canon Divergence, Swearing, venting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-03 00:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10956231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joz_rose/pseuds/joz_stankovich
Summary: Ryder needs a night off from being Pathfinder and she finds herself drawn to Tartarus and a certain smuggler.  Venting to him about her problems wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind, but it certainly helped ease the weight from her responsibilities off her shoulders for a few hours.





	A Night Off

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small one shot I've tumbling around in my head. I felt like Ryder and Reyes needed more getting to know you interactions. Hell, they needed more anything. Takes place post Precious Cargo, but before Night on the Town. Featuring my custom Ryder, Wednesday. You can find more about her on my [side blog](https://bone-dog.tumblr.com/).

   Reyes heard the door slide open and looked up from the data pad in his hand.  Wednesday Ryder stood in the door, the neon lights from the main room silhouetted her form in brilliant red before she hesitantly stepped inside.  Noticing the data pad in his hand, she stopped, seeming uncertain.  
  
    “If you’re busy I can go…”  
  
    Reyes grinned and threw the device aside.  “Ryder, I was just thinking about you.”  He motioned for her to sit and proceeded to pour her a drink.  As she settled herself on the bench next to him he noticed how worn out she looked; the dark circles rimming her eyes that even her make up couldn’t quite conceal, the slump of her shoulders, and even the slight dishevelment of her hair were now glaring giveaways.    
  
    As she turned to face him, Wednesday noticed Reyes watching her with a mixture of curiosity and concern.  “Are you… alright, Ryder?”    
  
    Wednesday wasn’t ready for such an honest question and she quickly grabbed the glass of alcohol from his hand to buy some time.  In one swift motion she downed the contents and nearly slammed the glass back down on the table.  However, Reyes was still watching her expectantly, his dark eyes searching her face.  She sighed, “Honestly?  No, not really.’  
  
    “That bad, huh?”  Reyes chuckled softly.  
  
    Wednesday shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.  “Come on, Reyes, you don’t really wanna hear about my problems.  I’m sure you’ve got plenty of your own to deal with.”  
  
    “ _Try me_.”  The look he threw her held a challenge.  
  
    The Pathfinder snorted softly, “I didn’t come here to vent about shit.”  
  
    Reyes leaned back and cocked an eyebrow.  “They why did you come?”  A ghost of a smirk traced his lips.  
  
   _To see you again._  
  
    Wednesday caught the words before they passed her lips and poured herself another drink.  “I couldn’t sleep, so I went out for a walk and just kinda of… ended up here.”  Another shrug.  
  
    Reyes laughed, “ _I see_ … so, it’s thoughts of me that keep you up at night?”    
      
    Wednesday felt her face flush at the insinuation behind his words.  “Are you always so self-assured?”  
  
    Reyes barked out a laugh.  “Hardly.  You seem to keep me on my toes, Ryder.”    
  
    Wednesday rolled her eyes, but there was still a faint smile on her lips as she raised her glass.  She paused before taking a sip; her dark eyes flicked toward Reyes, “Do you really want know what’s bothering me, or are you just playing around?”    
  
    “You doubt my intentions?  Ryder, I’m hurt.”  When he noticed that for once she didn’t look amused, his expression sobered.  “Tell me.”  
  
    “Okay, here goes,” Wednesday sighed, “the truth is… I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.  My brother should be Pathfinder, not me; Scott’s the responsible one.  I don’t know what my dad was thinking.  I mean, I’m pretty sure I was nothing but a disappointment to him most of my life, and then he decides to pawn off this huge responsibility on me right before he dies, to save me, no less.  Like what the _fuck_?”  The words came out in a rush, and as soon as her tirade was finished, Ryder downed the rest of her drink and poured her third.  
  
    Reyes watched her.  He was silent for a long while and when he spoke his voice was soft.  “You know, for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a hell of a job.  I meant it when I said you're something else, Ryder.”  
  
    Taken aback, Wednesday turned to gape at him.  The smuggler looked rather serious for once, and she couldn’t say why, but his words made her feel a little better.  Wednesday found herself smiling softly.  “Thank you, Reyes.  That… actually means a lot.”  
  
    She held his gaze for a long moment before she felt heat rise to her face.  Clearing her throat, she glanced away.  “I’m just tired,” she murmured, “tired of everyone looking up to me; expecting things from me.  The Initiative wants me to be a leader and make all these galaxy changing decisions, but then they turn around and complain when it’s not the choice they would’ve made.”  Wednesday threw up her hands.  “What the fuck do they expect?  I’m not exactly what you’d call professional.  I hate all this red tape, posturing bullshit.  I’m not built to be subtle or - or to think things though.  I’m impulsive and emotional and…”  
  
    “Whoa, take a breath, Ryder.”  Reyes exclaimed.  
  
    Wednesday collapsed back against the cushion with a deep sigh.  “I’m sorry.  I just wish that I could forget about my responsibilities for a little while.  I’ve tried relaxing on the Tempest, and I love my crew - I do, but…”  she shook her head slightly, “but they seem to always see me as the _Pathfinder_.  I wish… I wish at least _one_ person could see me as _just_ Wednesday.”  
  
    As soon as the words left her mouth, she froze.  She just realized that she’d laid bare most of her deepest insecurities to a man she hardly even knew.  Her heart wanted to trust him, but somewhere in the darkest recesses of her mind, her brain was screaming at her, but she pushed that thought aside.  It was out now, she couldn’t exactly take it all back.  Instead, Wednesday bit her lip, waiting for Reyes’s response.  
  
    The smuggler looked thoughtful and then spread his hands.  “Well, _just_ Wednesday, lucky for us I don’t see any Pathfinders here, just a beautiful woman that I wouldn’t mind getting to know a little better.”  He accompanied his words with a wink and that maddeningly charming smirk that made her heart pick up and brought increasingly unholy thoughts to mind.  
  
    Suddenly feeling very warm, and not entirely from the alcohol, Wednesday scooted a little closer to Reyes and peered up at him with a mischievous grin of her own.  “I certainly won’t say no to that.”  
  


* * *

  
    Reyes lost track of time as they drank and he listened to Ryder’s smokey voice.  Wednesday spoke of her life back in the Milky Way and even some of the things she’d seen since arriving in Andromeda.  She even managed to coax a few stories out of him from his piloting days.  The way she looked at him, it made him feel almost lightheaded and when she reluctantly admitted that she should return to her ship for some rest, he felt disappointment settle in his chest.  
  
    Wednesday stopped at the door.  “Hey Reyes… thanks.  I needed this.”  
  
    The smile he returned to her was genuine.  “Any time, Ryder.”  
  
    She grinned back and slipped through the door.  As he watched her go the disappointment changed into an unfamiliar ache; one that he felt increasingly when his thoughts turned to her.  It had started with a few simple words, and a look.  
  
   _Reyes is a better man than you think._  
  
    It was true that Wednesday Ryder was undeniably attractive, he’d noticed that the first moment he saw her, and admittedly, flirting with her was fun.  Plus, if he was being entirely honest, she had a roll yet to play in his plans, and Reyes Vidal was a man of many plans.  Falling for her though, that had not been part of any of them.  But _oh_ , that unexpected ache.    
  
    Plans could always be altered.  For her.  For her they could be.


End file.
